The SLJ reviews editors rounded up our reviews of the books lauded at the 2025 Youth Media Awards. Here, the reviews of the Newbery Medal and Honors winners.
The SLJ reviews editors rounded up our reviews of the books lauded at the 2025 Youth Media Awards. Here, the reviews of the Newbery Medal and Honors winners.
The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly. Greenwillow. Mar. 2024. 320p. Tr $19.99. ISBN 9780063337312.
Gr 3-5–Kelly returns with another solid middle grade novel exploring themes of time travel and personal responsibility. In 1999, anxiety-ridden 12-year-old Michael, in the throes of prepping for a potential disaster thanks to Y2K, happens upon a teen named Ridge, who is strangely dressed and speaks in unfamiliar phrases. Ridge has traveled back in time from 2199 thanks to his mother’s scientific work and a dare from his siblings. Although the opportunity to know any and all future outcomes is irresistible to Michael, he understands he must help Ridge get home. Small bumps in logic and pacing are this story’s only issues. The loss of a kindly mentor throws a wrench into the rhythm, with the urgency of Ridge’s return set aside for a stretch that feels longer than the number of pages it takes to read. However, Kelly has deftly assembled a community of empathetically rendered characters, making this an enjoyable, uplifting reading experience. The elements of sci-fi will be enough to sate fans of the genre while remaining approachable for all audiences. VERDICT A lovable cast buoys this time travel drama by one of the most reliable authors in children’s literature.-Reviewed by Alexandra Quay
Across So Many Seas by Ruth Behar. Penguin/Nancy Paulsen. Feb. 2024. 272p. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9780593323403.
Gr 3-7–Beginning with the Inquisition and the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492 and spanning over 500 years, this powerful historical novel by Behar relates the journeys and discoveries of four young girls from different generations of the same family. The stories of Benevida, Reina, Allegra, and Paloma are linked through the Spanish songs that they learn and pass along through an oud, a musical instrument that becomes a precious family heirloom and symbol of hope. Another recurrent connecting theme is travel—each protagonist embarks on a journey, whether fleeing persecution, searching for liberty, or discovering her past and her future. The plot takes readers from Spain to Naples and Turkey to Cuba, Miami, and back to Spain. The simple, resonant, and lyrical narrative transmits the hope and trust that have sustained Sephardic Jewish communities through the generations. Even the names of the title characters speak a blessing. Benevida means welcome; Reina means queen; Allegra means happiness; and Paloma means peace. An author’s note explains Behar’s connection to this important history. This moving historic tale treats every word used as if it is a fleeting and impossibly beautiful note in a song that can never be forgotten, as it illuminates a people and a past that deserves to be forever remembered. VERDICT This will appeal to fans of Jane Yolen’s Briar Rose, and is highly recommended for all collections.-Reviewed by Kelly Kingrey-Edwards
Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All by Chanel Miller. Philomel. Apr. 2024. 160p. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9780593624524.
One Big Open Sky by Lesa Cline-Ransome. Holiday House. Mar. 2024. 304p. Tr $18.99. ISBN 9780823450169.
Gr 5 Up–It is 1879 and pioneers are pouring across the country, seeking free land in the West. Lettie, her parents, and her brothers leave everything she has ever known in Mississippi to chase the dreamland and prosperity in Nebraska. Sylvia follows her husband’s dream out West, but struggles with all she has lost. Philomena seeks independence and freedom as she heads to Nebraska to take up her new job as a schoolteacher. Each of these Black women fights for their dreams and their future along the wagon trail in this emotional novel in verse. Will the travails of the trail overtake them, or will they find the new home and hope they so desperately long for? Set in the rarely told history of Black homesteaders during the Westward Expansion, this novel shines in its depiction of life on the trail and with its in-depth focus on relationship dynamics and self-realization. The varying viewpoints of the multigenerational narrators add depth and breadth to the storyline and character growth. Readers will find themselves cheering for and crying with these pioneering women as their expedition unfolds. VERDICT This emotional look into an untold part of the Westward Expansion dives deep into Black self-emancipation and the strength of Black women. Recommended for purchase for both historical fiction and interpersonal growth collections.-Reviewed by Emily Beasley
The Wrong Way Home by Kate O’Shaughnessy. Knopf. Apr. 2024. 336p. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9780593650738.
Gr 3-7–Twelve-year-old Fern’s life takes a sharp turn when she and her mother sneak out of the Ranch, an off-the-grid farm in New York that has been her home for the last six years. Even though the ranch might be considered a cult and her mom says its leader Dr. Ben is dangerous, it’s the home that Fern remembers most. The two escape to Driftaway Beach, CA, living in a motel where her mother works. When Fern becomes desperate to return to the only life she knows, she makes a long-term plan to return to the Ranch. But as time goes on Fern finds friendship in Eddie and Babs. She discovers that she loves science and learning about new things. Now that she has a taste for this world, she is conflicted when she thinks about returning home. This coming-of-age story centers a girl trying to decide what is right as she struggles to change from one culture to another. The first-person narrative is believable and thought-provoking as Fern reconsiders everything she’s thought to be true. VERDICT A unique story and welcome addition to the library for fans of contemporary middle grade fiction.-Reviewed by Nancy Hawkins
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